Market Positioning Finder

Skill Preview

---
name: market-positioning-finder
description: Find your unique market position — the angle that makes you the obvious choice for a specific audience. Use when someone says "help me position my product", "find my niche", "how do I differentiate", "positioning strategy", "what makes us different", "competitive advantage", or "find my angle".
---

# Market Positioning Finder

Discover a defensible market position through a guided, step-by-step conversation. The goal is one clear positioning statement — not a list of options to decide between.

**This is an interactive process.** Work through five phases in order. Each phase depends on the previous one. At each phase, ask the user focused questions, wait for their answers, and confirm before moving on. Never generate the full output in one shot.

## Phase 1: Competitive Alternatives Audit

Start by asking the user ONE question at a time. Do not dump all three questions at once.

**IMPORTANT: Always start with the intake question below, even if you think you already know the answer from other context.** The user's own words matter — how they describe their business reveals how they think about it, which shapes the entire positioning process. Do not skip this step or auto-fill it from background knowledge.

**First, ask:**
> Before we start — tell me in your own words: What's your company or product called, what does it do, and who do you sell to? (Two or three sentences is fine.)

Wait for the answer. Then ask:

> If your company didn't exist tomorrow, what would your customers do instead? Not "who are your competitors" — what would they actually DO? Pick all that apply or add your own:
>
> 1. Use a direct competitor (name them)
> 2. Use a different type of product/service that solves the same problem
> 3. Build a solution in-house
> 4. Hire someone (freelancer, agency, consultant)
> 5. Use spreadsheets / manual processes / duct tape
> 6. Do nothing — live with the problem

Wait for the answer. Then ask:

> Who do you lose deals to most often? Include "no decision" if prospects frequently just... don't buy anything.

After collecting answers, organize alternatives into three buckets and present back for confirmation:
1. **Direct alternatives** — products/services that do roughly the same thing
2. **Indirect alternatives** — different approaches to the same problem
3. **Status quo** — doing nothing, living with the pain

Ask: **"Does this list look right? Anyone missing?"** Do not proceed until confirmed.

## Phase 2: Unique Attributes and Value

Present each confirmed alternative and ask:

> For each of these alternatives, what can your customers do with YOU that they can't do with them?
>
> Focus on capabilities, not features. Not "we have real-time sync" but "teams can make decisions on live data instead of yesterday's export."

After the user answers, translate each into the value chain format:

```
[Attribute] → [Capability] → [Customer Outcome]
```

Group outcomes into 2-3 **value themes** and present them as numbered options:

> Based on what you told me, your differentiation clusters into these themes:
>
> 1. **[Theme name]** — [one-sentence summary]
> 2. **[Theme name]** — [one-sentence summary]
> 3. **[Theme name]** — [one-sentence summary]
>
> Do these feel right? Which one is the strongest? (Pick one, or tell me what's off.)

Wait for selection before proceeding.

## Phase 3: Target Segment Discovery

Ask these questions one at a time:

> Think about your best customers — the ones who adopted fastest, get the most value, and would notice if you disappeared. What do they have in common?
>
> 1. Industry or vertical
> 2. Company size or stage
> 3. A specific pain or situation they're in
> 4. A role or job title that champions you internally

Then apply the **Smallest Viable Audience** test. Present the segment back:

> Here's the target segment I'd recommend:
>
> - **Who**: [specific description]
> - **Their situation**: [what makes this urgent for them right now]
> - **Current approach**: [the alternative from Phase 1 they're most likely using]
> - **Why they'd switch**: [the value theme from Phase 2 that resonates most]
>
> **The test:** Could you find 100 of these people by name? If this feels too broad, we narrow. If it feels too narrow, we might be leaving money on the table (which is usually fine — narrow wins).
>
> Does this segment feel right, too broad, or too narrow?

Wait for confirmation. Narrow or broaden based on feedback.

## Phase 4: Market Category and Framing

Present three strategy options and ask the user to pick:

> Now we decide how to frame you in the market. Three options:
>
> **A: Head-to-Head** — Compete in an existing category. Win on recognized criteria.
> Best when: You're genuinely better at what the category already values.
> Risk: Incumbents own the mental real estate.
>
> **B: Niche Domination** — Own a subsegment. "The [category] for [specific audience]."
> Best when: A segment is underserved and big enough to sustain your business.
> Risk: Ceiling — you may outgrow the niche (but that's a good problem).
>
> **C: New Category** — Define a new space entirely.
> Best when: You have budget, patience, and a truly novel approach.
> Risk: Most new categories fail. Expensive to educate the market.
>
> For most businesses, **B is the highest-probability path.** Which feels right for you?

Wait for their pick. If they're unsure, recommend B and explain why based on their specific competitive alternatives.

## Phase 5: Positioning Statement and Stress Test

Draft the positioning using the **Onliness Statement** format:

> **[Company] is the only [category] that [key differentiator] for [target segment] who [situation/need].**

Present the draft and run three stress tests WITH the user:

> Let's test this. Three quick checks:
>
> **1. The "Own a Word" test**
> Can we reduce your positioning to one word or short phrase you could own in your customer's mind? (Think: Volvo = safety, FedEx = overnight.)
> I'd suggest: **"[proposed word]"** — does that feel right?
>
> **2. The Existence test**
> If your company disappeared tomorrow, would your target segment genuinely miss you? Would they notice a gap that nobody else fills?
>
> **3. The "So What?" test**
> Read this statement out loud. If you were your target customer, would you want to learn more? Or does it sound like a mission statement on a wall?

If any test fails, identify which phase to revisit and loop back. Don't force a weak statement through.

## Output Format

Once the user confirms the positioning passes all three tests, deliver the final brief:

```
POSITIONING BRIEF — [Company/Product Name]

Target Segment: [Who, specifically]
Category: [Market frame — head-to-head, niche, or new]
Competitive Alternatives: [Top 3 things they'd use instead]
Key Differentiator: [The one thing you do that alternatives can't]
Value to Customer: [Outcome they get, in their language]

Positioning Statement:
[Product] is the only [category] that [differentiator]
for [target segment] who [situation/need].

One-Word Anchor: [The word you want to own]

Proof Points:
- [Evidence 1]
- [Evidence 2]
- [Evidence 3]
```

## When This Doesn't Work

- **Too early**: If the user has no customers yet, they can't answer Phase 1 and 3 well. Tell them: "This works best with real customer data. Start with a hypothesis, talk to 10-20 prospects, then come back."
- **Too broad**: If the user insists on targeting "everyone," explain: strong positioning requires exclusion. Being for everyone means competing with everyone. Ask: "If you had to pick ONE type of customer to keep and let go of the rest, who would you keep?"
- **Commodity market**: If there are truly no unique attributes (rare), shift focus to brand positioning — voice, personality, and experience become the differentiator.

## Key Principles

- **Positioning is context, not messaging.** It determines what you say, but it is not the words themselves. Messaging comes after.
- **Start from best customers, not total addressable market.** The biggest mistake is positioning for the market you want instead of the one you've won.
- **Features are only "unique" relative to alternatives.** Never list features in isolation — always compare to what the customer would use instead.
- **Narrow beats broad.** A tightly held position in a small segment beats a vague position in a large market. You can always expand later.
- **Positioning is a living decision.** Revisit every 6-12 months or when the competitive landscape shifts significantly.